Crystal Echobow

[Hish]

The Crystal Echoblade is a weapon from the Magic Item Compendium. It's a +1 Longsword which deals an additional Cha points of sonic damage when wielded by a bard using bardic music. It costs 4310 gp (310 for a MW Longsword, 4000 for enhancements).

Would you allow the magic effects to be applied to a Shortbow? How would you price it?
On a bit of a tangent, would you allow adding further enchantments to a Crystal Echoblade, and how would you price them?

[Rijan_Sai]

The Crystal Echoblade is a weapon from the Magic Item Compendium. It's a +1 Longsword which deals an additional Cha points of sonic damage when wielded by a bard using bardic music. It costs 4310 gp (310 for a MW Longsword, 4000 for enhancements).

Would you allow the magic effects to be applied to a Shortbow? How would you price it?
On a bit of a tangent, would you allow adding further enchantments to a Crystal Echoblade, and how would you price them?

Based on those numbers, it would appear that the Echoing* property is a +2000gp weapon enhancement. (+1 enhancement is 2000, and a(n effective) +2 is 8000 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicWeapons.htm), so the 4000gp in total enhancements falls in between. A flat gp cost represents this the easiest.)

From the DM side, I would have no problem letting the player apply this to a shortbow (or really, any other weapon they want.) Price: 4330
Balanced? No idea, but I don't really see any problem with it.


*Not the "official" name, but that's what I'm going with...

[Menzath]

Seeing as how bards could do far more damage with spells or abilities, I'd say this is a fine property to add to a bow, especially good for a support that still wants to assist in combat.

[tyckspoon]

IIRC there's a specific statement in the MIC that you can do this (change weapon form or add other enhancements to a specific item), but it's woefully void of clarification on how you should do it. Changing the weapon type is easy enough, since weapon costs and masterwork costs are a standard part of the cost formula - subtract the cost of the sword, sub in the cost of the bow. Adding other enhancements or figuring out how to port the specific enhancement onto a more generic weapon is left as an exercise to the reader, and unfortunately puts you back in the situation of asking your DM how to make a custom weapon. The most sensible way, to me, is to do it as Rijan_Sai described: Subtract out the known cost of the weapons + any standard enhancements, whatever's left is the cost of the special property you're interested in (if that cost fits the pattern of prices for a +equivalent weapon, I assume the special power is meant to be a +equivalent rather than flat price.) However, since the book ungraciously fails to include any statements of intent or clarifying examples, there's no printed support for this.

[Nifft]

The Crystal Echoblade is a weapon from the Magic Item Compendium. It's a +1 Longsword which deals an additional Cha points of sonic damage when wielded by a bard using bardic music. It costs 4310 gp (310 for a MW Longsword, 4000 for enhancements).

Would you allow the magic effects to be applied to a Shortbow? How would you price it?
On a bit of a tangent, would you allow adding further enchantments to a Crystal Echoblade, and how would you price them?

1 - No, but I'd allow it to be made into arrow heads. They'd cost ~4k gp for a bundle of 50.

2 - A +1 sword would be 2k gp; the additional effect looks like a +2k gp flat-fee enhancement.

[Ramza00]

Just a reminder also from MIC

Bow of Songs (Magic Item Compendium pg. 48)
Price (Item Level): 12,330 gp (13th)
Body Slot: - (held)
Caster Level: 8th
Aura Moderate: (DC 19) evocation
Activation: Swift (command)
Weight: 2 lb.

This +1 shortbow blends music with every shot to deadly effect. On your turn, you can expend one daily use of your bardic music ability to gain a bonus equal to your Charisma bonus on the next attack roll and (if your attack hits) on the corresponding damage roll that you make with the bow.

Cost to Create: 6,000 gp (plus 33 gp for masterwork shortbow), 480 XP, 12 days.

[Hish]

Thanks for the advice. I should have mentioned in the OP, I'm the DM. I have a Bard who is often reduced to plinking for 1d6 with a shortbow and I figured I'd look for something to make it slightly more worth her time. I'll propose the Echoblade, but I wanted an alternative for if she wants to stay out of harm's way.


Just a reminder also from MIC

Bow of Songs (Magic Item Compendium pg. 48)
Price (Item Level): 12,330 gp (13th)
Body Slot: - (held)
Caster Level: 8th
Aura Moderate: (DC 19) evocation
Activation: Swift (command)
Weight: 2 lb.

This +1 shortbow blends music with every shot to deadly effect. On your turn, you can expend one daily use of your bardic music ability to gain a bonus equal to your Charisma bonus on the next attack roll and (if your attack hits) on the corresponding damage roll that you make with the bow.

Cost to Create: 6,000 gp (plus 33 gp for masterwork shortbow), 480 XP, 12 days.

This would be great, except it's triple the price so it's way outside of her price range.

[Rijan_Sai]

Thanks for the advice. I should have mentioned in the OP, I'm the DM. I have a Bard who is often reduced to plinking for 1d6 with a shortbow and I figured I'd look for something to make it slightly more worth her time. I'll propose the Echoblade, but I wanted an alternative for if she wants to stay out of harm's way.



This would be great, except it's triple the price so it's way outside of her price range.

It also increases both attack and damage by CHA Bonus, so is quite a (or at least a little) bit more useful. (It's also something nice to know about for my own game's Bard!!)

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I'd add morphing to the crystal echoblade so she could turn it into a shortbow if she wants to do ranged damage. Then she can use it as a multitool, given she's a skillmonkey and all.